Infant mobile

ABSTRACT

Provided is an infant mobile comprising a base housing, an axially rotatable main drive shaft, a bug body, a bug head and four wings. The main drive shaft extends outwardly from the base housing. The bug body is mounted on an end of the drive shaft. A set of four wing shafts extend laterally outwardly from the bug body. The bug head is connected to the bug body with the bug head and bug body each having a generally bulbous shape. Each one of the wing shafts has one of the wings mounted on a free end thereof. The wings are generally disc-shaped and may include a ribbon mounted on an outer perimeter. The wing shafts are mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft in a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted in equal proportion to the wing shafts such that the wings rotate in unison.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/583,814 entitled Wall Mounted Infant Mobile filed Jun. 29,2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

(Not Applicable)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to toys for infants and, moreparticularly, to an infant mobile that may detachably mountable to awall such as near an infant's bed or crib and which may be quickly andeasily removed from the wall such that the mobile may be used as ahandheld mobile for entertaining the infant at remote locations. Themobile of the present invention may alternatively be configured to bemountable to a stationary support such as an infant crib or a changingtable.

As is well known to parents, commonly found in most nurseries aremobiles which are attachable to an infant's crib. These mobiles aretypically attachable to a portion of the crib (e.g., a side rail). Somemobiles are provided with a wind-up musical element or music boxcomponent that is operative to play a melody while simultaneouslyrotating a portion of the mobile. Traditionally, mobiles includeelongate plastic arms which are suspended from the music box componentwith each of the plastic arms including interesting and visuallystimulating devices hanging therefrom.

It is common practice to provide such visually stimulating devices(i.e., toys, stuffed animals, etc.) to entertain the infant whentemporarily placed in certain confined situations away from the cribsuch as in a baby chair, a car seat or a play pen. In such confinedsituations, it is desirable that the chosen device enhances thedevelopmental capabilities of the infant. In addition, it is known thatproviding a familiar toy or device for the infant may serve to sooth andcalm the infant in certain confined situations.

In the interests of economy, the present invention provides a uniquelyconfigured mobile which may be mounted to a wall near a crib or bed orwhich may be mounted directly on the crib such as on a railing thereof.The mobile of the present invention is also specifically adapted to beremoved from the wall or crib such that the mobile may be manually heldby a user (i.e., a parent) in order to provide a familiar article tosooth, calm and entertain the infant when the infant is lying in thecrib or when moved from the crib and placed in a car seat, a stroller ora play pen. Thus, the present invention provides the attributes of bothan infant mobile and a handheld mobile within a single product therebyproviding a more economical device that may become familiar to theinfant when mounted above the infant's crib and which may be used tosooth and entertain the infant in a variety of remote locations awayfrom the infant's crib.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided is an infant mobile which may be adapted to be detachablymountable to a wall such as near an infant's bed or crib and which mayalso be quickly and easily removed from the wall for use as a handheldmobile for entertaining the infant at remote locations. The mobile ofthe present invention may alternatively be configured to be mountable toa stationary support such as an infant crib or a changing table. Theinfant mobile, which simulates the appearance of a dragonfly, comprisesa base housing, a main drive shaft, a bug head and bug body, and a setof four (4) axially rotatable wings respectively mounted on four (4)wing shafts extending outwardly from the bug body.

The main drive shaft extends out of the base housing and terminates atthe bug body. The wing shafts extend outwardly from the bug body and areangularly separated by intervals of approximately ninety (90) degrees.Mounted on a distal end of each one of the wing shafts is a wing, whichaxially rotates with the wing shaft in response to axial rotation of themain drive shaft. The wing shafts are mechanically coupled to the maindrive shaft such that rotational motion thereof is imparted in equalproportion to the wing shafts such that the wings rotate in unison. Thebug head, which may be fabricated of velour stuffed with polyesterbatting, may be directly connected to the bug body or the bug head maybe connected thereto by a head shaft. On an end of the bug head may be apair of antennae extending outwardly therefrom. An eye/nose appliqué maybe embroidered on a front side of the bug head.

The base housing houses a drive unit comprised of a motor, a gear set, apulley system, at least one battery and an on/off switch. The drive unitis operative to rotate the main drive shaft such that the wings arerotated. The base housing may comprise a single housing or combinationof a lower base housing and an upper base housing which collectivelydefine a hollow housing interior compartment containing the motor, thegear set, the pulley system, the battery, the on/off switch andassociated switch hardware. The motor is mounted within an upper portionof the upper base housing. A motor shaft of the motor is non-rotatablycoupled to a motor gear which is in turn coupled to a combination gearassembly of the gear set.

Alternatively, the infant mobile may be powered by a wind-up springassembly that may be housed within the base housing and which impartsrotational motion to the main drive shaft. The wind-up spring assemblymay be comprised of a windable spring member that is mechanicallycoupled to the wing shafts and which may be manually wound by a windingkey extending outwardly from the bug body. Upon release of the key, thewindable spring member is configured to rotate in an opposite directionand to impart its rotational motion to the wing shafts which areoperative to rotate the wings.

For the motorized version of the infant mobile, the battery is mountedwithin the lower base housing. A battery door in the base housingprovides access to the battery for installation or replacement thereof.The lower base housing is connected to the upper base housing via a setof screws. A mounting bracket secured to the base assembly allows forremovable attachment of the infant mobile to a wall mount plate. A pairof bracket screws may be used to secure the mounting bracket to the basehousing. The wall mount plate may be mounted on a wall via a pair ofwall mount plate screws extending into the wall. The wall mount platemay preferably be located above the infant's crib such that the infantmobile extends laterally outwardly from the wall so as to be suspendedover the infant's crib.

Operatively engaged to the combination gear assembly is the pulleysystem for transmitting rotational movement of the motor to the maindrive shaft. The pulley system includes a pulley gear and a main driveshaft pulley coupled together by a pulley belt. The pulley gear isengaged to the combination gear assembly via intermeshing teeth. Thedrive shaft pulley is fixed to the main drive shaft. The pulley belttransfers rotational motion of the motor to the main drive shaft.Activation of the motor may be provided by the on/off switch via anon/off button protruding through an aperture formed in the upper basehousing.

Disposed on an end of the drive shaft housing is the bug body which hasa generally rounded shape and which is comprised of a bug body frontconnected to a bug body back. The bug body front and back collectivelydefine a hollow bug body interior compartment for housing a bug bodygear assembly to which each one of the wing shafts and the main driveshaft are cooperatively engaged. The bug body gear assembly includes acrown gear engaged to a set of pinion gears disposed on an end of themain drive shaft and on ends of the wing shafts. The crown gear isrotatably mounted on a crown gear axle. The crown gear mechanicallycouples the main drive shaft to each of the wing shafts in a mannerwherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft is imparted in equalproportion to all of the wing shafts such that the wings generallyrotate in unison when the motor is activated.

Disposed on distal ends of each one of the wing shafts is a flat,disc-shaped wing, which is rotatable with the wing shaft upon activationof the motor. Each one of the wings may be fabricated of paper, textileor fabric material having different textures, colors, markings,finishes, etc. in order to provide enhanced visual stimulation to theinfant. The wings may be directly secured to the wing shafts or thewings may be secured to the wing shaft extending through the wings. Aset of multi-colored ribbons may be connected to the wings to providefurther stimulation to the infant when the wings are rotating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These as well as other features of the present invention will becomemore apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infant mobile of the present invention inan embodiment which is specifically configured to be detachablymountable upon a wall so as to laterally outwardly extend therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the infant mobile of FIG. 1 wherein theinfant mobile is detached from the wall and held by a user in an uprightorientation;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the infant mobile illustratingthe interconnectivity of a base housing, a drive shaft, a bug head, abug body and axially rotatable wings mounted on wing shafts extendingoutwardly from the bug body;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the infant mobile wherein the base housing hasa rounded or cylindrical shape;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the base housing showing an on/off button and amute button protruding through the base housing and speaker holes formedin the base housing;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the base housing showing a battery door that isremovably connected to a lower portion of the base housing;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the infant mobile in an alternativeembodiment wherein the infant mobile includes a wind-up spring assemblyand a manually wound by a windup key and further illustrating anembodiment of the mounting bracket that is clampable to a supportstructure; and

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the infant mobile of FIG. 7 andillustrating a pin and socket to allow for removal of the infant mobilefrom the mounting bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating the present invention and not for purposes of limiting thesame, shown in FIGS. 1-6 is an infant mobile 100 which is specificallyadapted to be detachably mountable to a wall such as near an infant'sbed or crib and which may also be quickly and easily removed from thewall for use as a handheld mobile for entertaining the infant at remotelocations such as in a baby chair, baby stroller, play pen and the like.Furthermore, shown in FIGS. 7-8 is the infant mobile 100 wherein amounting bracket 25 thereof is configured to allow the infant mobile 100to be mountable to a support structure 92 such as to a railing 104 of acrib or to a changing table.

As shown in FIGS. 1-6, major components of the infant mobile 100 in amotorized version includes a base housing 50, a main drive shaft 20, abug head 2 and bug body 56, and a set of four (4) axially rotatablewings 48 each being respectively mounted on four (4) elongate wingshafts 6 extending outwardly from the bug body 56. A motor 33 and driveunit 54 may be provided to impart rotational motion to the main driveshaft 20 and, in turn, to the wing shafts 6, as will be described ingreater detail below. As may be appreciated, the infant mobile 100 isconfigured to simulate the appearance of a dragonfly.

As shown in FIGS. 7-8, major components of the infant mobile 100 in awind-up version thereof include the bug body 56, bug head 2, the set offour axially rotatable wings 48 mounted on the wing shafts 6. A wind-upspring assembly 86 is provided in the bug body 56 and which may bemanually wound by a winding key 90 extending laterally outwardly fromthe bug body 56. A body extension 114 may be extended outwardly from thebug body 56 as shown in FIGS. 7-8. The body extension 114 may beremovably connected to the mounting bracket 25 which may be mounted on asupport structure 92 such as the railing 104 of the crib or a babychanging table.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-6, the base housing 50 has the main driveshaft 20 extending outwardly therefrom and terminating at the bug body56. The set of wing shafts 6 extend outwardly from the bug body 56 andare angularly separated by intervals of approximately 90 degreesalthough any number of wing shafts 6 may be used and may be arranged inany angular spacing. Fixedly disposed at an extreme end of each one ofthe wing shafts 6 is one of the wings 48, which axially rotates with thewing shaft 6 in response to axial rotation of the main drive shaft 20.In this regard, the wing shafts 6 are mechanically coupled to the maindrive shaft 20 in a manner wherein any rotational motion of the maindrive shaft 20 is imparted in equal proportion to all of the wing shafts6 such that the wings 48 generally rotate in unison, as will bedescribed in greater detail below.

The bug head 2 is connected to the bug body 56 by a head shaft 4extending upwardly therefrom in general axial alignment with the maindrive shaft 20, as shown in FIG. 3. The bug head 2 includes a pair ofantennae 1 extending outwardly therefrom at an end of the bug head 2.The bug head 2 may also include an eye/nose appliqué 3 disposed on afront side thereof although additional marking or appliqués may beprovided thereon such as to simulate a mouth of the dragonfly, as isshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The bug head 2 may be fabricated from a varietyof materials such as plastic although velour may preferably be used toform a generally bulbous or rounded outer shape. The velour may bestuffed with polyester batting or other suitable stuffing material afterwhich the velour may be sewn shut in order to contain the battingtherewithin.

The antennae 1 may be fabricated as generally arcuately shaped elongatemembers having mushroomed or bulbous tips formed on respective ends ofthe antennae 1. Knotted and sewn tricot tubular material may be used tofabricate the antennae 1 although there are a variety of alternativematerials including any natural and manmade materials that may be usedto form the antennae 1. Similarly, the eye/nose appliqué 3 may also befabricated from tricot material having embroidery incorporated thereinto simulate a pair of eyes and a nose of the dragonfly. Similarembroidery may be sewn into the velour material of the bug head 2 tosimulate other features of the dragonfly.

For the embodiment of the infant mobile 100 shown in FIGS. 7-8, thedrive unit 54 may be configured as the wind-up spring assembly 86 thatmay be housed within the bug body 56 and which may be configured toimpart rotational motion to the wing shafts 6. The wind-up springassembly 86 may include a windable spring member 88 mounted within thebug body 56 and which may be mechanically coupled to the wing shafts 6.

The windable spring member 88 may be configured as a torsion spring thatmay be wound by an exteriorly accessible winding key 90 protruding froma back side of the bug body 56 as shown in FIGS. 7-8. The winding key 90is operative to wind up the windable spring member 88 in one directionin order to increase the potential energy stored within the windablespring member 88. At completion of the winding operation or upon manualrelease of the winding key 90, the potential energy in the windablespring member 88 is released such that the windable spring member 88rotates in a direction opposite that from which it is wound. In thismanner, the windable spring member 88 imparts its rotational motion tothe wing shafts 6 which is transmitted through the wing shafts 6 torotate the wings 48.

Although the torsion spring is mentioned above as an embodiment of thewindable spring member 88, it is recognized herein that the windablespring member 88 may be configured in a wide variety of alternativedevices such as a band spring, a tension spring, or a combination ofother spring or spring-like devices that cooperate to impart rotationalmotion to the wing shafts 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the winding key 90 mayextend laterally outwardly from the bug body 56 such that a user mayeasily grasp and rotate the winding key 90 to wind up the windablespring member 88. However, the winding key 90 may be located at anyposition on the infant mobile 100.

For the embodiment of the infant mobile 100 shown in FIGS. 1-6, the basehousing 50 may be configured to house a drive unit 54 comprised of themotor 33, a gear set 70, a pulley system 68, at least one battery 40 andan on/off switch 30. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the base housing 50 may berectangularly configured. However, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the basehousing 50 may be configured to have a cylindrically or slightlyconically shaped side wall 78 extending between a slightly convex topwall 76 and a generally planar bottom wall 84. As shown in FIGS. 4-6,the side wall 78 may have a rib 74 extending circumferentiallytherearound. It should be noted that the specific configurations of thebase housing 50 shown in FIGS. 1-6 and described above are exemplary innature and should not be construed as limitations on the geometriccharacteristics of the base housing 50 as there are an infinite varietyof shapes and sizes for configuring the base housing 50.

Furthermore, the base housing 50 as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and FIGS. 4-6 mayoptionally include a musical element (not shown). The musical element ispreferably operative to play a soothing melody while the motor 33simultaneously rotates the wings 48, as will be described in greaterdetail below. The musical element may include a tape recorder, a soundchip or any other alternative device configured to produce the melodywhen the on/off button 29 is depressed (i.e., when the infant mobile 100is activated). As shown in FIG. 5, speaker holes 80 may be formed in thebase housing 50 to allow sound (i.e., the melody) to be transmitted froma speaker (not shown) that may be disposed within the base housing 50.As shown in FIG. 5, a mute button 82 may be included with base housing50 so that while the wings 48 are rotating, the musical element may beselectively activated or deactivated.

For the motorized version of the infant mobile 100, the drive unit 54 isselectively operative, via the manually activatable on/off switch 30, torotatably drive the main drive shaft 20 such that the wing shafts 6 andwings 48 are rotated. The base housing 50 shown in FIG. 3 comprises alower base housing 39 and an upper base housing 24 which collectivelydefine a hollow housing interior compartment 52. Disposed inside thehousing interior compartment 52 is the motor 33, the gear set 70, thepulley system 68, and three (3) of the batteries 40 interconnected onopposing ends by a pair of metallic battery contacts 41, 42. Alsodisposed within the housing interior compartment 52 is the on/off switch30 and associated switch hardware.

For the base housing 50 having the cylindrical configuration shown inFIG. 5, the interior compartment 52 may be collectively defined by theside wall 78, top wall 76 and bottom wall 84. Components such as themotor 33, gear set 70, pulley system 68, batteries 40 and switchhardware installed in the base housing 50 of FIGS. 1-3 may also beinstalled in the base housing 50 of FIGS. 4-6 although the specificarrangement of the components may differ. Additionally, for the basehousing 50 shown in FIGS. 4-6, the on/off button 29 may be locatedadjacent to the mute button 82 on the top wall 76. The speaker holes 80may be formed through the base housing 50 on a side of the main driveshaft 20 opposite that on which the on/off button 29 and mute button 82are located although a variety of alternative locations for the speakerholes 80 and on/off button 29 and mute button 82 are contemplated.

However, it may be preferable to position the on/off button 29 and mutebutton 82 as shown in FIG. 5 such that when the infant mobile 100 ismounted upon a wall, the on/off button 29 and mute button 82 are locatedabove the main drive shaft 20 to facilitate accessibility by a user(i.e. parent) of the infant mobile 100. Furthermore, when the infantmobile 100 is mounted on the wall, the speaker holes 48 are preferablylocated near the infant so that the infant may readily hear the melodyor sounds transmitted out of the base housing 50.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the motor 33 is preferably fixedly mountedwithin an upper portion of the upper base housing 24. Extendingdownwardly from the motor 33 is a motor shaft, which is non-rotatablycoupled to a motor gear 34 of the gear set 70. A combination gear 35assembly is also included with the gear set 70 and is engaged to themotor gear 34. The combination gear 35 assembly and the motor gear 34are preferably configured and arranged in such a manner as to achievethe desired rotational characteristics of the main drive shaft 20 and,ultimately, the rotational characteristics of the wings 48 in accordancewith the particular torque and speed characteristics of the motor 33.Likewise, the battery 40 is also preferably selected to be compatiblewith the particular power requirements of the motor 33.

As shown in FIG. 3 which illustrates the base housing 50 having therectangular configuration, the battery 40 is preferably fixedly mountedwithin the lower base housing 39. A battery door 43 is removablyconnected to a lower portion of the lower base housing 39. As shown inFIG. 6 which illustrates the base housing 50 having the cylindricalconfiguration, the battery door 43 is preferably removably attached tothe side wall 78 by means of a mechanical fastener such as a screw 44extending into the side wall 78. For either the rectangular orcylindrical configurations of the base housing 50, removal of thebattery door 43 provides access to the battery 40 for installation orreplacement thereof.

Referring to FIG. 3, the lower base housing 39 is connected to the upperbase housing 24 via a set of mechanical fasteners such as screws 44extending upwardly through apertures formed in the lower base housing 39and into corresponding apertures formed in the upper base housing 24.Removal of the screws 44 allows for removal of the lower base housing 39in order to provide access to the housing interior compartment 52 formaintenance of the drive unit 54. The lower base housing 39 may bereinstalled via threadable engagement of the screws 44 into the lowerand upper base housing 24.

For the rectangular configuration of the base housing 50 shown in FIGS.1-3 or the cylindrical configuration of the base housing 50 shown inFIGS. 4-6, a mounting bracket 25 may be fixedly secured to the basehousing 50 to allow for removable attachment of the infant mobile 100 toa wall mount plate 27. Mechanical fasteners may be used to secure themounting bracket 25 to the base housing 50. Although shown in FIG. 3 asbeing mounted to a side of the base housing 50 adjacent the upper basehousing 24, the mounting bracket 25 may be mounted on the lower basehousing 39 over the battery door 43 by extending a pair of bracketscrews 26 through apertures formed in an upper portion of the mountingbracket 25 and into corresponding apertures formed in the lower basehousing 39.

For the base housing 50 having the cylindrical configuration shown inFIGS. 4-6, the mounting bracket 25 may be mounted to the bottom wall 84which may, in turn, be secured to the base housing 50 by means ofmechanical fasteners such as screws. It is contemplated that the basehousing 50 shown in FIGS. 4-6 may be configured such that the basehousing 50 may be rotated about a longitudinal axis A indicated by theletter A in FIGS. 4 and 6.

More specifically, the wall mount plate 27 may be configured tocooperate with mounting bracket 25 to allow for rotating the basehousing 50 and, hence, the infant mobile 100, about the longitudinalaxis A when the infant mobile 100 is mounted on the wall. By configuringas such, the infant mobile 100 may be selectively oriented to directlyface the infant lying below the infant mobile 100 regardless of therelative position of the infant.

For example, if the infant is lying in the crib and is oriented inmanner opposite its usual or conventional orientation, a parent maysimply grasp the base housing 50 and rotate the infant mobile 100 toface the infant's head. Such rotational motion of the base housing 50may be facilitated by configuring the mounting bracket 25 to include arotating member (not shown) that is fixedly secured to the bottom wall84 but which is rotatably connected to the mounting bracket 25. Forexample, a pin (not shown) protruding from the bottom wall 84 may beextended through and axially rotatable within a receiving bore formed inthe mounting bracket 25.

The wall mount plate 27 may be securely mounted on the wall viamechanical fasteners such as a pair of wall mount plate screws 28extending through apertures in the wall mount plate 27 and threadablyengaged to the wall. Although mountable in any location, the wall mountplate 27 may preferably be located above the infant's crib such thatwhen the mounting bracket 25 is cooperatively engaged to the wall mountplate 27, the infant mobile 100 extends laterally outwardly from thewall. In this manner, the infant mobile 100 of the present invention maybe suspended over the infant's crib for the enjoyment and entertainmentof the infant lying therebelow.

Advantageously, the disengagement of the mounting bracket 25 from thewall mount plate 27 allows for quick and easy removal of the infantmobile 100 from the wall for use as a handheld mobile. The wall mountplate 27 and the mounting bracket 25 may include complementaryengagement features. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the wall mountplate 27 may include a pair of flanges extending outwardly from opposinglateral sides of the wall mount plate 27. A pair of receiving slots 45may be integrally formed in the mounting bracket 25 on opposing sidesthereof such that direct engagement of the mounting bracket 25 to thewall mount plate 27 may be effected by positioning the mounting bracket25 above the wall mount plate 27 and simply aligning the flanges withthe slots 45 prior to extension thereinto by moving the infant mobile100 downwardly relative to the wall mount plate 27. Removal of theinfant mobile 100 from the wall for use as a handheld mobile is achievedby reversing the above-described mounting steps.

Referring briefly now to FIGS. 7-8, shown is the infant mobile 100having a mounting bracket 25 that is specifically configured to allowfor mounting of the infant mobile 100 to a support structure 92 such asto the railing 104 of a baby crib. The mounting bracket 25 may beremovably coupled to the infant mobile 100 through a pin 110 and socket112 configuration as shown in FIG. 8 wherein the pin 110 extends fromthe body extension 114 of the infant mobile 100. The socket 112 isformed in the mounting bracket 25. The pin 110 is sized and configuredto be insertable into the socket 112 to allow the user to selectivelyattach and detach the infant mobile 100 from the mounting bracket 25.

Toward this end, a detent button 108 may be provided with the bodyextension 114 which may be engaged to a receiving aperture in themounting bracket 25, as shown in FIG. 8. Engagement of the detent button108 to the receiving aperture prevents unwanted axial or rotationalmotion of the infant mobile 100 motion such as may occur of an infantgrabs and pulls downwardly on the infant mobile 100. Disengagement ofthe pin 110 from the socket 112 is effectuated by depressing the detentbutton 108. The detent button 108 is preferably spring biased to anouter position such that depression of the detent button 108 allows forslidable removal of the pin 110 from the socket 112. Using the mountingbracket 25, the infant mobile 100 may be easily affixed to a supportstructure 92 such as the baby crib railing 104. The infant mobile 100may be used as a handheld mobile by removal from the mounting bracket 25to allow use of the infant mobile 100 at remote locations away from thebaby crib such as in a living room or kitchen or in an automobile duringtravel.

In order to provide flexibility regarding types of support structure 92to which the infant mobile 100 may be mounted, a spaced pair ofoutwardly extending prongs 94 can be seen in FIGS. 7-8. The prongs 94are generally spaced apart to provide a slot 45 or gap 96 therebetweeninto which various structural members may be inserted such as theaforementioned railing 104 of the baby crib. A clamp mechanism 98 may beincluded with one of the prongs 94 to clamp the mounting bracket 25 tothe support structure 92 or railing 104. The clamp mechanism 98 mayinclude a threaded shaft 46 that extends through one of the prongs 94and which may terminate in a clamp pad 102.

As shown in FIG. 7, rotation of the threaded shaft 46 may be effectuatedby means of a rotating knob 106 such as a thumbwheel. In this manner, auser may clamp the support structure 92 between the prongs 94 whereinthe clamp pad 102 may be clamped against the support structure 92 torigidly secure the mounting bracket 25 thereto. A clamp shim (not shown)may be provided on an interior of the gap 96 to provide flexibility inthe geometries of support structure 92 to which the mounting bracket 25may be clamped. Protective material may be provided around the prongs 94to prevent damage to articles (i.e., furniture, wooden railing 104 of ababy crib, etc.) to which the mounting bracket 25 may be affixed.

Regarding materials from which the base housing 50 and associatedhardware may be fabricated, it is contemplated that the upper and lowerbase housing 24, 39, battery door 43 and mounting bracket 25 may beformed of a polymeric or plastic material such as acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS) resin via an injection molding process althoughmetallic materials may be used in any suitable process to form suchcomponents. The mounting bracket 25 is preferably fabricated of plasticin order to adequately transmit loads from the infant mobile 100 intothe wall. Likewise, the bug body 56 and bug head 2 as well as bodyextension 114 and mounting bracket 25 may be fabricated of plasticmaterial. Alternative materials such as metal may be used to fabricateany of the components.

Referring now to drive unit 54 shown in FIG. 3, operatively engaged tothe combination gear 35 assembly is the pulley system 68 fortransmitting rotational motion of the motor 33 to the main drive shaft20. The pulley system 68 is comprised of a pulley gear 36 and a driveshaft pulley 38 mechanically coupled together by a pulley belt 37. Thepulley gear 36 is engaged to the combination gear 35 assembly viaintermeshing teeth (not shown). The drive shaft pulley 38 isnon-rotatably fixed to an end of the main drive shaft 20, which extendsfrom the housing interior compartment 52 and outwardly toward the bugbody 56.

The pulley belt 37 drivingly connects the pulley gear 36 to the driveshaft pulley 38 such that any rotational movement of the motor 33 istransferred to the main drive shaft 20. Although a variety of materialsmay be utilized to fabricate components of the pulley system 68 and gearset 70, it is contemplated that any suitable polymeric material,preferably Delrin, may be used. It may be preferable to fabricate thepulley belt 37 of shock-absorbing material such as rubber in order toreduce or minimize stresses that may be induced in the pulley system 68and the gear set 70 during repeated starting and stopping of the motor33.

Selective activation of the motor 33 may be facilitated by switching theon/off switch 30 which electrically interconnects the motor 33 with thebattery 40 via the battery contacts 41, 42. Manual switching of theon/off switch 30 is facilitated by an on/off button 29 that is connectedto the on/off switch 30. As can be see in FIG. 3, an on/off switch 30aperture is formed in the upper base housing 24 through which the on/offbutton 29 protrudes. An on/off switch mount bracket 31, which may beformed of ABS plastic, rigidly mounts the on/off switch 30 and theon/off button 29 to the upper base housing 24. The aperture throughwhich the on/off button 29 protrudes is offset to a side of the upperbase housing 24 in general alignment to an aperture through which themain drive shaft 20 protrudes which is also offset towards an oppositeside of the upper base housing 24.

Extending between the bug body 56 and the base housing 50 is an elongatedrive shaft housing 21, which is configured to house the main driveshaft 20. Preferably fabricated as a tubular structure of extruded ABSplastic, the drive shaft housing 21 has the main drive shaft 20 disposedtherewithin such that the main drive shaft 20 may freely rotate withoutcontacting the drive shaft housing 21. The drive shaft housing 21 isfurther configured to rigidly connect the bug body 56 to the basehousing 50 in spaced relation to one another. A tubular foam sleeve 22may be concentrically disposed about the drive shaft housing 21 along alength thereof and may include a covering comprising a fabric outersleeve 23 formed of printed fabric and wrapped about the foam sleeve 22.The printed fabric may include markings or indicia that roughly simulatea tail of the dragonfly.

Disposed on an end of the drive shaft housing 21 is the generallyrounded or bulbous-shaped bug body 56. The bug body 56 may be configuredas a pair of joined bulbous elements to more realistically emulate theshape of an insect such as the dragonfly. As best seen in FIG. 3, thebug body 56 may be comprised of two halves including a bug body housingfront 18 and a bug body housing back 15 rigidly attached to each othervia a bug body housing screw 19. The bug body housing screw 19 mayextend into at least one bug body boss 60, which may be generallycentrally located and integrally formed with at least one of the bugbody housing back 15 and/or the bug body housing front 18.

The bug body housing front 18 and bug body housing back 15 collectivelydefine a generally hollow bug body interior compartment 58 for housing abug body gear assembly 72 to which each one of the wing shafts 6 and themain drive shaft 20 are cooperatively engaged. The bug body housingfront 18 and bug body housing back 15 are preferably formed of polymericor plastic material such as ABS plastic using an injection moldingprocess. The bug body boss 60 may be integrally molded into the bug bodyhousing front 18 and bug body housing back 15.

Included with the bug body gear assembly 72 is a crown gear 16 directlyengaged to a set of pinion gears 5 disposed on ends of the main driveshaft 20 and the wing shafts 6. The crown gear 16 may be rotatablymounted on a crown gear axle 17, which may be supported by or mounted onthe bug body boss 60. The crown gear 16 mechanically couples the maindrive shaft 20 to each of the wing shafts 6 in a manner whereinrotational motion of the main drive shaft 20 is imparted to all of thewing shafts 6. As was earlier mentioned, the infant mobile 100 mayinclude the wind-up spring assembly 86 instead of the motor 33componentry. The winding key 90 may be positioned on the back side ofthe bug body 56 to allow a user to wind up a windable spring member 88to effectuate rotation of the wing shafts 6 and, hence, the wings 48.

The main drive shaft 20 as well as each one of the wing shafts 6 has oneof the pinion gears 5 fixedly mounted on an end thereof. Optionally, thehead shaft 4 may be included with the bug body gear assembly 72. Asshown in FIG. 3, the head shaft 4 may include one of the pinion gears 5mounted on an end thereof and mechanically engaged to the crown gear 16via intermeshing teeth such that rotational motion is additionallyimparted to the head shaft 4 for rotating the bug head 2.

Regardless of whether the head shaft 4 is included with the bug bodygear assembly 72 or whether the head shaft 4 is rotatable, each one ofthe pinion gears 5 is engaged to the crown gear 16 in spaced relation toone another about the crown gear 16. The crown gear 16 may includeradially oriented teeth that mesh with axially oriented teeth of thepinion gears 5. In this manner, rotation of the main drive shaft 20pinion gear 5 when the motor 33 is activated causes the crown gear 16 torotate which in turn causes each one of the wing shaft 6 pinion gears 5and, hence, the wing shafts 6 to also rotate. For the embodiment of theinfant mobile 100 having the wind-up spring assembly 86 (FIGS. 7-8), thestructural arrangement of the wing shafts 6 may be similar to that forthe motorized embodiment of the infant mobile 100 (FIGS. 1-6) in thatthe wing shafts 6 are rotatingly coupled to the wind-up spring assembly86 and are configured to rotate in unison and hence, cause the wings 48to rotate in unison.

As shown in FIG. 3, each one of the wing shafts 6 and the main driveshaft 20 extend out of the bug body interior compartment 58 through bugbody apertures 60 formed in the bug body 56 at a joining plane of thebug body housing front and back 18, 15. The bug body apertures 60through which the wing shafts 6 extend are shown as being angularlyseparated by intervals of approximately 90 degrees. The aperture in thebug body 56 through which the main drive shaft 20 extends is angularlyoriented to generally bisect a spacing between an adjacent pair of bugbody apertures 60 through which the wing shafts 6 extend. However, thewing shafts 6 may be provided in any number and may be oriented relativeto one another and to the main drive shaft 20 at any angular spacing. Ifincluded, the head shaft 4 extends out of the bug body interiorcompartment 58 in general alignment to the main drive shaft 20 on anopposite side of the bug body 56.

Regarding materials from which the bug body gear assembly 72, wing shaft6 and main drive shaft 20 are fabricated, it is contemplated that hollowmetallic tubing may preferably be used such as steel or stainless steeltubing. However, it is recognized that metal or polymeric rod (i.e.,solid) material may be used. In order to provide high wear resistance,it is further contemplated that the crown gear 16, crown gear axle 17and pinion gears 5 that make up the bug body gear assembly 72 may alsobe fabricated of metallic material such as steel of stainless steelmaterial, although any suitable material having the desired wear andstrength properties may be utilized.

Referring still to FIG. 3, disposed on distal ends of each one of thewing shafts 6 is the generally planar, oval-shaped or disc-shaped wing48, which is rotatable with the wing shaft 6 upon activation of themotor 33. Each one of the wings 48 may be fabricated of a variety ofalternative material including, but not limited to, plastic material,paper material and textile material. The wings 48 may each include awing shaft 6 bore extending axially therethrough along a longitudinalaxis A of the wings 48. The wing shaft bore 64 of each of the wings 48is preferably aligned with the wing 48 in the planar direction.

As shown, in FIG. 3, each one of the wings 48 has a generallyelliptically shaped perimeter although the wings 48 may be formed in avariety of alternative shapes and sizes. Each one of the wings 48 may beformed of two layers of textile material disposed in back-to-backarrangement and being separated from one another at a middle portion ofthe wing 48. Optionally, each one of the wings 48 may be provided with awing shaft bore 64 formed between the two layers. More specifically, apair of generally parallel seams may be sewn into the wing 48 along thelongitudinal axis A of the wing 48 in order to form the wing shaft bore64. The two layers of fabric may also be sewn together at the wing 48perimeter, although any other suitable method such as gluing may be usedto connect the two layers of textile material.

Referring briefly now to FIG. 4, each one of the wings 48 may preferablybe provided without a wing shaft bore 64. In such an arrangement, eachone of the wings 48 may be directly attached to the bug body 56 such asby a respective one of the wing shafts 6 wherein the wing shaft 6 doesnot extend through the wing 48. It is contemplated that the wing shaft 6may be fabricated of plastic material and may further be configured toinclude structural features or load-carrying members to rotatablysupport the wing 48 and allow the wing 48 to axially rotate relative tothe bug body 56.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, each one of the wings 48 may be fabricated ofmaterial having different textures, colors, markings, finishes, etc. inorder to provide enhanced stimulation to the infant. For example, fourof the wings 48, namely wing one 7, wing two 12, wing three 13 and wingfour 14, are shown in FIGS. 1-3. Wing one 7 may be fabricated of sewntricot material having a checkerboard pattern printed thereon. Wing two12 may be also fabricated of tricot material but may have a geometricdesign printed thereon. In contrast, wing three 13 may be fabricated ofsewn tricot material and may include a concentric circle design printedthereon. Wing four 14 may alternatively be fabricated of sewn metallicMylar in order to provide a shiny or reflective surface for reflectinglight in order to provide enhanced visual stimulation to the infant.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, each one of the wings 48 may be secured on arespective one of the wing shafts 6 using a wing shaft ball end 11,which may include a self-locking feature (not shown) configured to gripthe wing shaft 6 as the wing shaft ball end 11 is pressed onto the wingshaft 6. The wing shaft ball ends 11 may be fabricated of ABS plastic.However, in a preferable arrangement shown in FIG. 4, the wing shaftball ends 11 may be eliminated for configurations where the wings 48 aredirectly attached to the bug body 56. As was earlier mentioned, the wingshaft 6 may not extend through the wing 48 but may connect to an end ofthe wing 48. Furthermore, the wing shaft 6 may be configured torotatably position the wing 48 directly adjacent to the bug body 56.

As shown in FIG. 4, set of multi-colored ribbons 66 may preferably beconnected directly to each one of the wings 48. The ribbons 66 may besecured to the wings 48 by a variety of means such as by sewing.However, as shown in FIG. 1-3, illustrating a configuration of theinfant mobile 100 wherein the wing shaft 6 extends through the wing 48,the set of multi-colored ribbons 66 (red, green and purple satin ribbon8, 9, 10) may be secured to each one of the wing shaft ball ends 11.Regardless of the manner in which they are secured, the ribbons 66 areincluded with the infant mobile 100 to provide further stimulation tothe infant when the wings 48 are rotating. Although any textile orfabric material may be used to fabricate the ribbons 66, it iscontemplated that polyester satin material may be used in a variety ofcolors such as red, green and purple. Although the red, green and purpleribbon 8, 9, 10 are shown mounted on each of the wings 48, any number ofribbons 66 may be provided and in any color or color combination.

The operation of the infant mobile 100 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 1-6. The infant mobile 100 may be detachably mountedon the wall, such as above the infant's crib, at a sufficient height toprevent the infant from downwardly pulling on any component such as theribbons 66. The infant mobile 100 is initially mounted on the wall byengaging the mounting bracket 25 to the wall mount plate 27. Ifconfigured as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of receiving slots 45 of themounting bracket 25 may be initially aligned above the pair of flangesof the wall mount plate 27.

Direct engagement of the mounting bracket 25 to the wall mount plate 27may then be effected by moving the infant mobile 100 downwardly relativeto the wall mount plate 27 such that the flanges directly engage anentire length of the receiving slots 45. When so mounted, the infantmobile 100 extends laterally outwardly from the wall such that theeye/nose appliqué 3 of the bug head 2 faces downwardly and preferablytoward the infant's crib. In such a position, the wing shafts 6 define agenerally horizontally disposed plane.

If the infant mobile 100 is configured as shown in FIGS. 4-6, mountingto the wall may be effected in the same manner as was described abovefor the configuration shown in FIGS. 1-3. However, if the infant mobile100 is configured to be rotated about the longitudinal axis A via arotating member, the base housing 50 and, hence, the infant mobile 100may be rotated at any angle to face the infant. Such rotationalcapability may enhance the utility of the infant mobile 100 if theinfant is oriented in manner opposite its usual orientation in the crib.

The infant mobile 100 may be activated such that the wings 48 arerotated by manipulation of the on/off button 29 to an “ON” positionwhich causes the on/off switch 30 to be activated allowing power to flowfrom the battery 40 to the motor 33. Through the cooperation of the gearset 70 and the pulley system 68, rotational motion is transmitted fromthe motor 33 to the main drive shaft 20. The crown gear 16 isoperatively coupled to the pinion gears 5 of each one of the wing shafts6 such that the rotational motion of the main drive shaft 20 issimultaneously transmitted to each one of the wing shafts 6 and, hence,the wings 48. Rotation of the wings 48 and ribbons 66 in combinationwith the decorative features and markings of the infant mobile 100 mayprovide entertainment and stimulation to the infant viewing the infantmobile 100 from the crib. Rotational motion of the wings 48 may bestopped by simply switching the on/off button 29 to an “OFF” position,which halts the operation of the motor 33.

If included with the infant mobile 100, the musical element may beoperative to play a soothing melody or any variety of sounds. It iscontemplated that the musical element is activated when the on/offbutton 29 is switched to the “ON” position so that the melody istransmitted through the speaker holes 80 while the motor 33simultaneously rotates the wings 48. As was earlier mentioned, the mutebutton 82 may be included with the infant mobile 100 to allow the user(i.e., parent) to deactivate the musical element while the wings 48 arerotating.

Deactivation of the musical element may be facilitated by simplydepressing the mute button 82 although there are numerous configurationsof the infant mobile 100 that provide the feature of selectiveactivation or deactivation of the musical element. For example, the mutebutton 82 may be configured as a toggle switch. A voice-activationfeature may alternatively be included in order to automaticallydeactivate the music element upon detection of a human voice such as mayoccur when the infant awakens and begins crying.

Advantageously, the infant mobile 100 may be easily removed from thewall for use as a hand held mobile by simply lifting upwardly on thebase housing 50 in order to disengage the flanges of the wall mountplate 27 from the receiving slots 45 of the mounting bracket 25. Onceremoved, the infant mobile 100 may be held in view of the infant in themanner shown in FIG. 2. Activation and deactivation of the infant mobile100 may be effected in a manner identical to that described above bydigital manipulation of the on/off button 29 so as to selectively startand stop rotation of the wings 48.

The operation of the infant mobile 100 as shown in FIG. 7-8 is similarto that described above to the extent that the body extension 114 may becoupled and decoupled from the mounting bracket 25 by means of thedetent button 108 to allow for insertion and removal of the pin 110 fromthe socket 112. Rotation of the wings 48 is effectuated by means of thewind-up spring assembly 86 wherein a user may rotate the winding key 90to wind up the spring member 88 in one direction similar to the windingof wind-up toys such as toy cars. Following winding to the desiredtension in the spring member 88, release thereof causes the wing shafts6 to rotate which results in rotation of the wings 48.

Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention mayalso be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, theparticular combination of parts described and illustrated herein isintended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention,and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative deviceswithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. An infant mobile, comprising: a bug body mounted on an end of thedrive shaft and having at least one axially rotatable wing shaftextending laterally outwardly therefrom, the wing shaft being axiallyrotatable in response to axial rotation of the drive shaft; a bug headconnected to the bug body; and a wing fixedly mounted on the wing shaftand being rotatable therewith.
 2. The infant mobile of claim 1 furthercomprising: a base housing; and an axially rotatable main drive shaftextending outwardly from the base housing; wherein: the bug body ismounted on an end of the main drive shaft; the wing shaft being axiallyrotatable in response to axial rotation of the main drive shaft.
 3. Theinfant mobile of claim 2 wherein the base housing includes a drive unithoused therewithin, the drive unit comprising: a motor; a gear setoperatively coupled to the motor and being rotatable in response torotation of the motor; a pulley system operatively coupled to the gearset and being mechanically coupled to the main drive shaft; a batteryelectrically connected to the motor; and an on/off switch electricallyconnected to the battery and being operative to activate the motor foreffectuating axial rotation of the main drive shaft such that the wingshaft is rotated.
 4. The infant mobile of claim 2 wherein the bug bodyhas four of the wing shafts extending outwardly therefrom.
 5. The infantmobile of claim 4 wherein the wing shafts are oriented at an angularspacing of about ninety degrees relative to one another.
 6. The infantmobile of claim 5 wherein the wing shafts are mechanically coupled tothe main drive shaft in a manner wherein rotational motion of the maindrive shaft is imparted in equal proportion to the wing shafts such thatthe wings rotate in unison.
 7. The infant mobile of claim 2 wherein thebug body includes a bug body gear assembly housed therewithin andincluding: a crown gear; and a plurality of pinion gears directlyengaged to the crown gear and being disposed on an end of the main driveshaft and on an end of the wing shaft; wherein the crown gear isconfigured to mechanically couple the main drive shaft to the wing shaftin a manner wherein rotational motion of the main drive shaft isimparted to the wing shaft.
 8. The infant mobile of claim 1 furthercomprising: a drive unit housed within the bug body, the drive unitcomprising a wind-up spring assembly configured to impart rotationalmotion to the wing shaft.
 9. The infant mobile of claim 8 wherein thewind-up spring assembly includes: a windable spring member housed withinthe bug body and being mechanically coupled to the wing shaft; and anexteriorly accessible winding key mounted on the bug body and beingoperatively coupled to the wind-up spring member for manual windingthereof.
 10. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the wing is generallydisc-shaped.
 11. The infant mobile of claim 1 further comprising atleast one ribbon affixed to the wing.
 12. The infant mobile of claim 1wherein the bug head includes a pair of antennae extending outwardlytherefrom and having a pair of bulbous tips formed on ends of respectiveones of the antennae.
 13. The infant mobile of claim 1 wherein the bughead and bug body each have a bulbous shape.
 14. The infant mobile ofclaim 1 wherein the bug head includes an eye/nose appliqué disposed on afront side thereof.
 15. The infant mobile of claim 2 further comprisinga mounting bracket affixed to the base housing and being configured toallow for removable attachment of the infant mobile to a wall.
 16. Theinfant mobile of claim 15 further including: a wall mount plate mountedon a wall; wherein the mounting bracket includes a slot sized andconfigured to removably engage the wall mount plate.
 17. The infantmobile of claim 1 further comprising: a body extension extendingoutwardly from the bug body; a mounting bracket affixed to the bodyextension and being configured to allow for clamping of the infantmobile to a support structure.
 18. The infant mobile of claim 17 whereinthe mounting bracket includes: a spaced pair of outwardly extendingprongs defining a gap therebetween for insertion of the railingthereinto; and a clamp mechanism having a threaded shaft extendingthrough one of the prongs and terminating in a clamp pad configured toclamp the support structure between the prong and the clamp pad.
 19. Theinfant mobile of claim 17 wherein: the mounting bracket includes asocket formed therewithin; the body extension having a pin sizedcomplementary to the socket and being insertable therewithin to allowfor removal of the infant mobile from the mounting bracket.
 20. Theinfant mobile of claim 1 wherein the infant mobile is configured tosimulate the appearance of a dragonfly.